Summer & Tanning

Now that summer is really here and heating up, I need to do my annual word of caution about tans. Some of you may think that you will get a jump on it by using a tanning bed. In a word don't do it.

There is now more evidence that using a tanning bed before age 30 increases the risk of melanoma - a potentially lethal type of cancer - by 75%. In the same study, there was consistent evidence that linked melanoma of the eye. So here's the fact you can go blind and have cancer and a death that is most unpleasant.

Be cautious of UV light which the skin absorbs. This can come from tanning beds, sun lamps and the good old sun. Wear sun screen!

As you can see, I have been gone most of August. I just returned from a trip into the mountains. We had a rather overcast day which was warm enough for shorts and we were down by the lake for about 3 hours. Because the ambient air was cool, one doesn't think of sun screen, but there we were applying our sun screen. The people nearby us looked at us a bit skeptically until we pointed out they were getting a bit pink.

Just a word again about altitude. Use lots of sun screen and especially if you are around water. The refraction of the sun off of the water can give you a pretty severe burn in no time. So what if you get burned, what do you do?

First and foremost, do not put butter or oil onto the burned area. This keeps the heat in and the tissue will continue to burn. Aloe will help take the burning away, but you should also use a good moisturizer frequently on the skin. You actually lose moisture from the skin when it gets burned and you want to replace that and help it to heal.

Sun at High Altitude

I just returned from the Seminar of the Century in Snowmass, Colorado. It's about 9,000 feet above sea level there and I spent 3 days on the mountain sitting in the hot blazing sun. I started on the first day to apply sunscreen every 2 hours. While I did not burn, I did discover a few spots I had not covered very well. So on the second day I started applying the sunscreen every hour. On the third day there was a hazy overcast - not the clear intense sun of the previous 2 days, but probably more serious situation for burning. I continued to apply sunscreen every hour and excaped without being burned and damaging my skin. I was also wearing a hat and realized on the second day that I needed to apply extra sunscreen to the lower half of my face. The reason was the angle that we were sitting and the direction, early in the day the sun was still hitting the lower part of my face. While I did not burn, there is one more bit of advice I would give you. Be sure to keep the skin moisturized well after such types of exposure. I may not have burned, but I did dehydrate the skin and it requires moisture. When you moisturize, use something that is water soluble not oils. I will speak more about that tomorrow.

Tanning Beds

While many of you may have been told that tanning beds were safe, they are not as safe as you may think. The problem with getting sunburned is that we damage our skin with free radicals from the sun. The damage that occurs actually happens within the cell at the DNA level. The DNA chain is damaged when hit by the free radical. Your immune system has to fix that damage. Most of time the immune system is able to fix it. However, when it is unable to fix it you have damaged cells which may mutate and end up being cancer cells. It makes no difference whether those free radicals are generated by the sun or by a tanning bed, the effect is the same.

My best advice is to not use tanning beds. Sunscreen is your best bet to protect yourself from free radical damage.

Hot Sun and those over 65

Those of you who are over 65 are probably pretty good about using sunscreen or keeping yourselves protected with hats and clothing. The issue for you is not that you don't use sunscreen, but it is one of being aware of how sunscreen my interact with medications you are taking or applying to your skin. You should also be aware that your skin may have increased sensitivity to the sun because of the medications that you are taking.

Hot Sun and Teens

Sunscreen for teens is very important. Their skin may be more sensitive to the sun because of acne medications. When prescription acne medications are used the skin becomes more sensitive and may burn more easily. But it isn't just prescription medications that could lead to a problem. There are other skin care products over the counter which make the skin more sensitive to the sun. The best prevention is to use sunscreen every 2-3 hours.

Hot Sun and Infants

Infants less than 6 months of age should be protected with clothing and kept in shaded areas. Sunscreen should not be used on these little ones. For infants greater than 6 months, sunscreen should be used with caution until they are at least 1 year of age. As a rule of thumb, until they are walking freely, they should be protected with shade and light clothing.

Hot Sun in the Summer Time

We all know to wear sunscreen when we're out in the sun. Here a few things to keep in mind about sunscreens.

While many brands of sunscreens are available, the active ingredients work by absorbing, reflecting, or scattering some or all of the sun's rays. Most sunscreen products contain combinations of ingredients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires sunscreen products to carry a sun protection factor rating on their labels. We know this as the SPF. This number tells how well the sunscreen protects against burning. Supposedly, the higher the number, the longer a person can stay in the sun without burning. This is not the case. To be safe you should reapply the sunscreen every 2-3 hours, no matter what the SPF is. You should be using at least a SPF of 15 and even very fair people can use a an SPF of 30 and reapplied every 2 hours they will be safe.

Be sure to read the instructions that come with the sunscreen. Some need to be applied as long as 1-2 hours before sun exposure. Others should be applied 30 minutes before exposure.

Apply sunscreen liberally to all exposed parts of the skin, including the hands, feet, nose, ears, neck, scalp (if the hair is thin or very short), and eyelids. Take care not to get sunscreen in the eyes, as can irritate the eyes. I don't recommend using sunscreen on the eyelids if you tend to perspire a lot. You will end up with lots of sunscreen in your eyes and have lots of eye irritation. Better to wear sunglasses to protect your eyelids. Protect the lips with a lip balm that has a sun screen in it. No matter what the sunscreen says, always reapply it after swimming or being in the water.

Cloudy days can be some of the worse days for skin damage to occur. Be in the habit of always wearing sunscreen so that your skin stays protected. Living here in the state of Colorado we are exposed to sun at higher elevations. While it might not be as warm around us, the damage from the sun is intensified. Wherever you are be aware that some surfaces reflect the sun's rays, such as sand, water, concrete, or snow. I know, snow isn't a summer problem unless you are at altitude!

We tend to be more aware of fair individuals developing a sunburn, but the truth is that all people are subject to skin damage from the sun and should be wearing sunscreen - darker skin tones can still burn.

Enjoy the sun and the beautiful out doors, but protect your skin.